The top 10 movies of 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2
What more do I need to say? This is the highest grossing franchise to date. We laughed, we cried, we feared, we rejoiced, you name it, we felt it. We watched these kids grow up for the past 10 years and it was a bitter sweet feeling to see it end. Epic conclusion to an epic set of films. We finally come to find what happens in the battle between Voldemort and Harry Potter, and if good really does overcome evil. I found myself crying countless times through out the film, even at non sad parts just because it was so good! It made me sad to know this would be the last time I could be surprised and thrilled by our favorite little threesome.

The Muppets
What an amazing reboot to another franchise that is dear to my heart. This is something I remember fondly from my childhood and unfortunately after Jim Henson passed we felt a little hole in our hearts from the attempts they tried to make at the films such as Letters from Santa. I tip my hat to Jason Segel for taking back the characters to where they were meant to be. I feared this would be more about him and Amy Adams but it wasn't. The focus was the Muppets and getting the audience to fall in love with them again and steal the hearts of a new generation of children. You laughed you cried and you left SO HAPPY! I heart countless times "you would have to have no soul to have not enjoyed the Muppets" I look forward to future endeavors they will have and the wonderful writing, production, and songs that Jason Segel brought to us.

X-Men First Class
What a fun origins story. We finally come to understand the dynamic between all the characters in the films we've already viewed. They have always hinted at how things used to be and how they came to be now, but we finally get to see how it all panned out. We grow a soft spot for many of the "villains" and understand what brought them to be as such. It has a wink at the previous movies as well with cameos from characters such as wolverine and mystiques transformation into Rebecca Romijn "would you rather me be older." Visually fantastic and even throws a fun little twist into what we don't know about the cuban missile crisis. Also making me decide the Kevin Bacon should have a German Mustache ALWAYS.

The Artist
Such a brilliant film. It's the first black and white silent film since the late 1920's. After nearly 100 years someone took the leap to try something that used to be so familiar and is now so foreign to most. The crowning jewel was it didn't taint the working formula with modern advances. It still felt like it was truly made in the 1920's-30's. The actors were all cast perfectly as well, no need to worry in, did they choose this person because of their popularity, these actors were made for their roles. I left feeling delighted and inspired. It was quirky, fun, the music was even perfect. I could not have been more pleased with this film.

Midnight in Paris
A fun twist to a movie. Owen wilson and Rachel McAdams travel to paris and once the clock strikes midnight Owen gets picked up by a car and arrives in 1920's Paris with all the who's who of the time. So much fun. How accurate the portrayals of the celebrities is unknown but it was still fun. You got to go to a bar and spend time with Cole Porter, Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway and Pablo Picasso to name a few. The moral of the story was the time before you will always be "the golden age" and maybe we should appreciate where we are now instead of focusing on what could have been.

Paranormal activity 3
What most may see as a silly series filled with hoaxy paranormals I have fallen in love with. The fact that all have been filmed on hand cameras and leave just enough shadow of a doubt that you go home feeling your home and the spirits with in will turn on you at any time. Why would you want to loose sleep and be scared shitless? I have no idea but for some reason I keep coming back for more. The best part about this series was how they all tied together. Each installment made the one prior to it make more sense and unease you more about why what happened before is now so clear. If you were to un-jumble the order of which they were released, it chronologically would be, Paranormal Activity 3-kids, Paranormal activity 2-Kristi's story which partially overlaps with Paranormal Activity 1-Katys story. We finally learn what they keep referring to when they said "remember what happened when we were kids?" "we promised never to talk about that" and HOLY SHIT was it a doozy. We find out "Toby" has been the source of these shenanigans since day 1 and just wont leave them alone. The scary aspect of this is that the ghost isn't just the house. You can't move and get rid of it, it goes where you go. Brilliant series in the fact that each one makes you fear the one before it more.

Crazy Stupid Love
What a fun lighthearted ROM-COM. One of those where you just want everyone to stop being silly and figure out a way to make it work and let love conquer all. The dynamic between Ryan Gossling and Emma stone is adorable and frothy where you find yourself saying to Ryans character, stop playing the field, you found the girl of your dreams, accept it. Also screaming for Julianne Moore to realize the huge mistake she's made in leaving Steve Carrel. There's also a fun twist at the end that no one would have ever expected. I loved it. It wasn't too cheesy, it wasn't too silly, it was just the right about of ROM and COM.

Scream 4
HOLY SHIT was I excited for this movie! I grew up watching Scream and it was the perfect amount of time to have passed to make a new installment. Rumors of this being the first in a new trilogy makes me giddy. The rules have changed with the advances in technology. Now everything has to be filmed and the gore has definitely been taken up a notch. I suppose the public has been desensitized from what used to be extreme because in this one there was a brutal stabbing that left intestines sprawled from the girl to the bed. Of course a twist ending and no one knowing who will survive and not. All main characters returned and as for the rule changes all were fair game to bite the dust. So pleased with them keeping to essentially the original formula with modern updates. An untainted franchise that will hopefully live on for many years to come. Continuing to bring a satire of itself to the current teen generations.

Sucker Punch
As for the Story on this, I still don't really know what it was. But to see some cool CGI girl kick-ass-ery with a good soundtrack then this is it. There was a story with in a story, with in a story, that they kept abandoning one story for the other with out clear transition. The battles were epic and completely unrealistic and it really was an excuse for a handful of attractive women to wear skimpy outfits and fight non-exhistant graphic enemies but man was it enjoyable for what it was. It also went to a place no one has gone before so it was completely un-expected. Will anyone else go back there? Probably not but it's good at face value.

Drive
Another movie that was really unexpected. Even after the fact month later I don't really know how to feel about it. Great soundtrack and Ryan Gossling was attractive as always and a silk jacket that sparked a craze so large that even at it's $200 cost it's backordered for months. Ryan Gossling barely spoke, in fact most the characters barely spoke. We had no background story on Gossling's character either. While my description may sound as if I wasn't a fan of it, these criticism are what made it different from all the other ones in the box office and make me appreciate it for what it is. BRUTAL murdering out of nowhere as well which is always an interesting surprise.
Top 10 Movies of 2011 PT 1! VLOG
Top 10 Movies of 2011 PT 2! VLOG!